Wildwood Crest one of just 14 municipalities to be named NJ "Healthy Town" for 2022

The New Jersey Quality Institute has named Wildwood Crest one of just 14 municipalities in the state to earn Mayors Wellness Campaign "Healthy Town" honors for 2022.

This marks the third straight year that the Crest has earned this prestigious distinction, the result of initiatives spearheaded by wellness-driven Mayor Don Cabrera and the borough's recreation team.

A release noted that the winning cities and towns "improve health and wellness in their communities through innovative programs in areas such as exercise, healthy eating and mental health education and awareness" and praised the Crest specifically for launching "mental health-focused activities such as meditation and yoga, and social connectedness opportunities."

"The Borough of Wildwood Crest is honored to receive the Health Town designation for a third consecutive year," said Cabrera. "I am happy our community is known for its wellness initiatives, including being clean and safe. I thank the Quality Institute for recognizing Wildwood Crest once again. I also thank our recreation wellness team for their hard work, dedication and creative ideas.

"I would love to network and learn more about other communities' wellness programs - and if anyone is looking to learn more about our programs, please reach out. I congratulate all communities and participants in the Mayors Wellness Campaign. We are doing great things, and we're off an running for 2023!"

The Mayors Wellness Campaign (MCW) is a program of the Quality Institute in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Each year, participating communities complete a comprehensive Healthy Town application outlining the research they've done to identify their community health needs and explaining how they have organized their local MCW committee. 

The application also highlights the actions the towns have taken to make their communities healthier places to live, work and play.

The other 13 communities named 2022 Healthy Town winners are: Asbury Park, Bay Head, Evesham, Freehold, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Paterson, Plainfield, Princeton, Scotch Plains, Vernon and Woodbridge. 

In addition, 17 towns were cited as a "Healthy Town to Watch" and seven more were named to the "Healthy Town Up-and-Coming" list.

To learn more about the MWC, visit www.njhcqi.org/MCW.